Operation ASNaC, Four Years On

Exams were a mixed bag. Totally overdid it in my Irish exam (wrote 7,600 words in less than four hours) and triggered the biggest carpal tunnel flare-up I’ve had since 2013, so I’ve been in a lot of pain this week and also dealing very badly with it on an emotional level. Plus it got in the way of revising properly for Welsh, which was today, my last exam, and so I ended on a bit of a low. But I’m hoping ‘worst exam’ is relative and that it will still have gone okay. Now we’ve just got to wait and see.

Would love to say I’ll be posting lots now that they’re over, but truth be told, I probably won’t be. Wrists are still painful and I’m trying to look after them until I can pursue actual helpful medical treatment; keyboard is also playing up and being a huge pain to type on, for no apparent reason. Soon I’m going to start the big rewrite of Butterfly of Night I’ve been planning, but need to do some more actual plotting first, and I’ll also probably have to dictate most of it. Which will be a joy, with a guild of assassins called Comma… WHY. Why did I do that to myself.

Also I’m going to the Isle of Skye next week for a conference, so that’s cool. And vaguely terrifying. My first academic conference!

Oh and I have another job interview. And a dozen other things. It’s all happening. Plus I went book shopping today and bought four books so I’m going to just hide in my room and read those now.

Anyway. I’ll be back eventually. In the meantime — I’m on Twitter nearly all the time, and Instagram and Tumblr sometimes, so come and find me there. I’ll be back eventually, when I’ve got something to say. Here’s a pic of me walking home from my final university exam ever:

And here’s me with cake, because as well as being my last exam, today was my fake birthday, and I’m 4. That is to say, it’s four years since I chose the name Finn during the Great Gender Crisis of 2014 (you’d think by now I’d have decided on a professional name but NOPE). So yes. I bought myself a cake. Because why not.

Slightly scared by my thumbs in this picture and I’m not even sure why. They just look. wrong.

I finished my degree.

I FINISHED MY DEGREE.

It took me a year longer than planned and it’s been a tough journey, but I FINISHED MY DEGREE.

Now I just have to wait for results and, y’know, hope that I actually passed it.

So many congratulations, Finn! That’s amazing, and a celebration is in order. I’m excited to see the paths you travel over the next years. With the name comma….maybe call it something else then do a find and replace when you’re finished writing?

Sooo much congrats for finishing your degree ahhh!!! And I mean I’ve already had heart eyes over your book choices and your cake, and agreed your thumbs are dubious, so I am commenting super uselessly here. 😂 But just wanted to say DOUBLE YAY because this is a huge deal and I’m really happy for you that you made it!! (And all the excite for Butterfly’s rewrite!!)